Police: School aide arrested for sex crimes, had San Dimas student's baby

SAN DIMAS >> For the second time this month, an Inland Empire school employee has been arrested and accused of having a sexual relationship with a student after giving birth to that student's child.

Mandy Amanda Morales, 31, of San Dimas was arrested Wednesday evening for reportedly having a sexual relationship with a then-16-year-old student at Canyon View School, a private school that provides education for students with special needs, such as developmental and learning disabilities, as well as behavioral issues, Los Angeles County sheriff's officials said Thursday.

She posted $50,000 bail and is scheduled to be back in Pomona Superior Court on Sept. 11.

The student is described as someone who was not thriving in a traditional school environment, according to sheriff's officials, but is not considered developmentally disabled.

"There is one victim that we're aware of," said sheriff's Sgt. Peter Hahn. "There's always a chance that there (are) more victims out there that we're unaware of."

Investigators learned of the crime in December after an employee at Canyon View School found a journal belonging to Morales that had been stored in a locked cabinet. The journal detailed Morales' relationship with the student, who was 16 when the crimes began, Hahn said.

School officials were in a classroom looking for some learning materials when they noticed the cabinet was secured with a non-school-issued lock. School officials opened the file cabinet and found the journal, authorities said.

The relationship with the student began in 2011 and resulted in the birth of a child. Sheriff's investigators determined through DNA testing that the victim, now 19, fathered the child, said Hahn.

"It's my understanding that the boy still sees the baby. It's unknown whether the sexual relationship continued, but he still has contact with the child," Hahn said.

He said police have been in contact with the victim.

"Like any other victim, he's rather reluctant at first," said Hahn. "We have an ongoing dialogue with him and like any other 16-year-old boy he probably didn't think anything he did or she did was wrong, because he is the victim and she is the predator."

Morales was hired by the school in 2004, but it is unknown if she worked in other capacities besides as an instructional aide.

Anil Vadaparty, chief administrative officer for Canyon View, said Morales was placed on administrative leave the day the school discovered the allegation. Morales resigned last week.

The school sits on the same property and falls under the umbrella of McKinley Children's Center, a nonprofit organization that handles foster care, adoptions and children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and neglect.

The kindergarten through 12th grade school serves about 135 students in the summer and 180 students during the rest of the school year.

Vadaparty would not confirm whether Morales, whose position was not certificated, had a disciplinary record at the school. He did say that instructional aides go through the same background check that public school teachers do.

"We are fully cooperating with law enforcement," Vadaparty said. "We have been ever since this investigation started. The safety of our students is first and foremost, and we will continue to cooperate to ensure their safety."

The arrest comes less than three weeks after the arrest of former Citrus Valley High School teacher Laura Elizabeth Whitehurst of Redlands, who is also charged with having a sexual relationship with a student and having the student's baby.

Anyone with information on the Morales case may call sheriff's investigators at 562-946-7960.